One more day to go

Taking a nap on the set with the lead actor. Just kidding! The picture was posed!

One more shooting day to go. It promises to be the toughest yet, with four location changes. Making final changes to the script right now for the Act 2 climax--confrontation between two characters. Hope things will work out fine.

集思廣益

以前總不願意看自己的片子，覺得說不出的難為情，不論人家怎樣讚賞我的作品，我看到的只是它們的缺點。但這一次卻不同，多得很勤力的剪接師，現在已有很多場口給剪了出來，看到這些片段我沒有過往尷尬的感覺，反而覺得很興奮，很期待這部片的誕生。原因除了是自覺拍得不錯之外，也反映了我看自己作品的態度改變了。簡單地說我不再覺得這是我自己的作品：靈感是上天給的，在拍攝現場也要靠幕前幕後的工作人員努力才能拍得成，這一部片是真正的collaboration，我特別感欣慰的是各部門的工作人員都不斷向我提點：演員把我的對白改得更生動，攝影師提供一些我沒想得到的鏡頭，除此之外，有什麼對白不順耳、什麼鏡頭有遣漏大家也很勇於提出。真正好的導演應是廣集大家的意見，經過過濾後融入作品中。有一次在片場上有人向Steven Soderberg提意見，說完後那人說希望導演不要介意，Soderberg說,"No, of course not, I love that you undermine my authority."嚇得那人不敢作聲，但原來Soderberg是認真的。真正有authority的人是不怕被threatened的，若你知道自己要什麼，人家的意見只會幫助你達到你的目的。這裡又想起Paul Coelho的名句: "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it."

A director's confession

Being a film director has got to be the most exhilarating job ever. You have to use all your creativity, ingenuity, intelligence, diplomacy and communication skills. Yet at the end of the shooting day you don't feel exhausted, but invigorated, alive. Sure, there are days when I had gone for another take, or filmed another shot, or treated a scene differently. But these are but small quibbles. The important thing is the process, and this is one of the most enjoyable crews I've ever been on. Everyday I go to work in a great mood. Compared to being on the set, the rest of my time feels half empty, as if I'm merely sleep walking through life. There's only two more shooting days to go, and I'm already missing the gang.

還有三天

死亡四天完結後，又展開亡命三天的連續拍攝。八天內拍七天，可說挑戰我們人丁單薄的劇組的極限，幸好最後都總算順利完成(雖然最後一天要被迫cut了一場戲)，要多得每個幕前幕後工作人員的努力。這一次真的很幸運，找到一班很盡責，很正面的cast and crew,遇到困難時我從沒覺得自己在孤軍作戰，他們在我疲累的時候給我鼓勵，沒信心時給支持，多謝你們提出的每項意見，希望拍出來的不是爛片!

死亡四天前夕

未來將要面對「死亡四天」--連續四天拍攝，不知能否支持得住?
昨天拍了十五小時後簡直筋疲力盡，但每當我埋怨工作太辛苦時都會提醒自己：你現在正做著你想做的事，也是你喜歡的工作，還能有什麼投訴?

Taking the leap

Day 3's shooting in Cheung Chau went quite well. One scene required the actors to swim in the sea. The temperature was about 21 Celsius but the water was much colder. Neither Ben nor Chi Kin wanted to go in. Someone said, "The water's freezing. Why don't you try going in?" I don't know how I found the courage, but I donned my floral print Speedo and leaped in without a thought. It really was quite cold, but it was worth it. The actors went ahead and did the scene, and I felt they respected me just a little bit more after that.

諸事不順的第二天

1月1日生日在工作中渡過，在演員家排性愛場面。討論其中一場時C拿了樽poppers出來示眾，我忍不住吸了幾口，之後便成晚又肚痛又作悶，重瞓唔著。第二天精神彷彿地去到拍攝現場，竟然發現要拍的地產舖門口有掘地工程，趕忙要找新location，折騰了差不多一小時才開拍。我暗暗發誓以後也不再碰毒品--I'm getting too old for this shit。這一天拍攝時間特長，零晨二時才完成，最後一場也不太順利，原來設計的cutaway與動作都因時間關係放棄了，變成我覺得最悶的對剪。剩下來的日子要提醒自己有幾樣野要戒:第一戒同一個shot 拍多過三次，第二戒為演員mark企位，第三戒兩個人企定定對cut,希望能辦得到!

1 down, 15 more to go!

First Day of shooting. Everything on schedule so far.
















My angel.